lances.
With a wink, the warrior indicated that it should go on. A gesture that was unmistakable and the two pirates followed them. Maybe the tribe could help them.
Still astonished, the pirates waited in front of the dwelling, which hopefully led to the tribal elder.The warrior had asked her to wait with a gesture and at the same time chased away a boy who had looked at Nami with big shining eyes while holding up a chain with a white stone. Sanji could still not believe the sight that was presented to them: The entire mountain they had seen has been washed away by the water so that the tribe could live in it. The waterfall also covered the only entrance! It was amazing! Because the water also flowed into a lake from above in the middle, it was pleasantly cool and protected from the local heat outside. Sanji let his gaze wander again. He was looking at a mother and her children who were plaiting fibers. The children, two girls, had no flowers in their hair yet, he had already noticed, only the women had flowers - no buds, like Nami - in their hair. With the men he could see that they all had chains with different stones around their necks. No wonder, because finally all the stones seemed to shimmer and thus the camouflage that Nami and Sanji had experienced could no longer have been maintained. Sanji paused briefly. The young lad's stone hadn't had such a shimmer. Was there a special meaning behind it?
"Can I keep the hair accessories?", Nami asked uncertainly.
"Sure. They gave it to you. That was definitely a good sign," Sanji answered her.
"It makes me a little nervous."
"I also want to know what kind of tincture it was. Finally a seed germinated so quickly that you now have a bud in your hair," Sanji mused aloud. "We could use that for your orange trees. Maybe we could then harvest them several times."
Nami waved briefly in his direction and the blonde turned in the said direction, only to meet the young woman again. She smiled briefly and also raised her hand in greeting. Nami could see that she was holding a chain with a glowing green stone in her hand.
"Intended for your husband!" Said Nami.
The young woman raised both eyebrows questioningly. Nami pointed to the chain in her hand and then pointed to the stone dwelling where the warrior had gone.
The woman smiled and nodded briefly. Nami was right.
The warrior stepped out again and indicated with his arm that the two of them could enter. Sanji went in before Nami, even if everyone up to this point was friendly, it could still be a trap, you never knew.
Nami saw out of the corner of his eye how the young woman put the warrior's chain around the neck and the warrior pulled her into a deep kiss.
"I was told about you," the two pirates were greeted by a calm, deep voice. "I am Mahda, the elder of the tribe. Have a seat!"
Both pirates paused. Had the elder spoken to them, of all people?
"You can talk?" Nami slipped out and she held her hand in front of her mouth, because she thought it was impolite.
"Yes. We have a long tradition here. The tribal elders choose their pupil and teach him everything. When the time comes, we retreat to the dwelling, which is filled with the holy water, and wait death. Only then can the fruit be handed over, which enables us to understand all the languages ​​of the world, "she explained.
"So you ate some devil fruit!", Sanji expressed his thoughts.
"So it is. The fruit has served us well with other strangers. Although the strength of our warriors and women also has a clear influence. After all, they know how to handle when they know what is happening!""I was already wondering about some things!" Said Nami.
"Haki," replied Sanji. "The people have strengthened their haki so much that they can read our minds like Enel did. They can also read our facial expressions and gestures very well. Therefore, they do not need to speak. It is only an advantage, even when hunting. "
Another nod followed.
"We've heard of this name and also that there are different types of it," she explained, brushing back a strand of her gray hair. "A long time ago we received a visit from a man who was so powerful that the most dangerous animals fell unconscious. I had never seen anything like it. It was a tremendous power! You can be glad that our warriors are still in front of you Sunset. Because as nutritious as this island may be, "she paused for a moment. "It is just as deadly!"
"But there weren't any wild animals to be seen anywhere!", Nami interjected.
"Because they also sleep and other careless animals lose themselves in the pleasures of this island and no longer notice the setting of the sun. Then the hunters come out and they are fast! But they are just as captivated by the hunt as their victims by it sweet scent. Therefore, they are easy prey for our experienced hunters when the sun comes up again. "
Nami shuddered. You were really lucky!
"That's why you also have furs and I was able to see hung meat. That explains a lot," said Sanji.
"The island sounds similar to the one Usopp trained on for two years. Only until now there have been no carnivorous plants."
"There are those too, on the shady side of the mountain."
"Luffy would have liked that," Sanji laughed briefly. "He loves meat, he would like to let off steam here and he can eat a lot too!"
"But definitely not as much as our last visitor!", Mahda interjected. "He was very hungry, he ate some animals all by himself. He was already a little hero for our village, as our leader was just torn apart by a wild tiger. As a thank you, we gave him a stone as soon as the warriors carried it. He was red, red like the courage he had, "she reminisced. "We also gave him a seed of a very beautiful flower. I think you call it hibiscus."
"I can't think of a person who could do that," Nami mused aloud.
"May I ask what the meaning of these blossoms and the stone mean? A young boy came up earlier and beamed at Nami as if she were his salvation," growled Sanji, who couldn't quite hide his jealousy.
"I know who you mean. His name is Cain. He's the only one who hasn't had a future wife yet. All of our young women are taken. Girls get their buds when they get their first bleeding. As soon as they truly love." "They bloom. The boys acquire their stone when they have shed the first seed," explained the wise woman, holding up a chain with a blue stone. "I should give you a stone from our leader that is worthy of you."
Sanji blinked briefly. He hadn't expected that he should get a present too. After all, they were actually strangers.
"Thank you very much, I am honored!"
"Oh, that doesn't matter. Rather take our help," she said knowingly. "The stone is exactly the same color as your eyes."
Nami's eyes widened when she recognized this stone. It was an incredibly beautiful tanzanite! Did she even know how rare and precious such a gem was? But she was right: it matched Sanji's eyes beautifully."When your heart recognizes true love, it will begin to shine on its own, then it is no longer as weak as it is now," explained the elder, although it had the impression that she was waiting for something.
"That's why Cain looked at me like that!", Nami remembered. "He thought he could find his wife in me!"
"That's true. I suggest you rest. We can try to keep an eye out for your friends tomorrow. I'm sure you will be found quickly."
"But..."
"Don't argue. You are not the first, and certainly not the last visitors to this island. You are still weakened by the shipwreck. Don't worry, our guards are on the mountain at night too, keeping an eye out. They will let us know. if a ship approaches. "
"Nami?"
The orange-haired woman tossed and turned restlessly.
"Nami? Get up! Our ship has been sighted! I know you slept uneasily, but our crew found us, or rather, part of our friends!", Sanji woke her.
Thereupon Nami winced and struggled to get up. "Did you find us?"
"Yes! You are on the way here! We can have a little something to eat on the way and then we will definitely continue sailing!", Sanji paused. "Don't worry, the hunters will come with us if we should come across uninvited guests."
"Then we should really hurry up!", She got up and followed Sanji, who was stopped briefly by Mahda.
"I wish you a good journey and that your hearts know the truth," blessed them both.
"We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your hospitality and for helping us!", Nami and Sanji said goodbye to her. They followed the group of hunters to the beach to wait for the ship.
"Interesting people, I have to admit that," said Jinbei after hearing the story. "But we were also lucky that you didn't lose the Vivre Card."
"It still seems like a dream to me," said Nami and looked at the blossom, which had finally opened, through the mirror.
"I think it suits you. Those are little orange blossoms", Chopper also looked at the hair accessories.
A smile crept onto Nami's lips. "I know, and yet they haven't wilted a bit."
"That amazes me again and again," Sanji agreed, grabbing the chain that he wore under his shirt.
He knew now why they of all people had landed on this island. At least he had a guess if he was right. His heart pounded faster as he looked at the happy smile of his loved one. Because of that smile, his stone had started to shimmer and Sanji had realized that he had fallen head over heels in love with the beautiful navigator.
The thieving cat's grin widened. She knew it! The blue sheen under the white shirt and the longing looks were not hidden from her.
"I just follow my heart!", Nami countered when the doctor asked why the buds had suddenly opened.
She rose elegantly, wrapped her arms around the Smutje's waist and breathed her lips against his for a deep kiss.